When pilots Wayne Petrus and Philip Thomas flew missions for Angel Flight South Central in the early 2000s, they noticed the tremendous need for flights originating from their home state of Louisiana. Angel Flight was doing an admiral job, but with the organization based in the Dallas metro area, many of their pilots were also…
Five years ago, Ron Draper became president and chief executive officer of Textron Aviation at the age of 50. Earlier this year, Draper talked to King Air magazine about what he calls his “not normal” career path from farmer to the C-suite, the importance of faith and family in his life and his enthusiastic return…
Jim Kirvida proudly reached 25 years of ownership of N911CF, a 1980 Beechcraft King Air F90, earlier this year. The president of Custom Fire Apparatus, Inc. in Osceola, Wisconsin, has previously owned and operated a King Air 200 (BB-843) and a King Air C90A (LJ-1198) as well as two Cessna 425 Conquest twin turboprop aircraft.…
If you’re planning to fly to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh – which runs July 24-30 this year – we’ve rounded up three suggestions of destinations to explore on your way to or from Wisconsin. Whatever direction you’re traveling, consider diverting to one of these worthy stops. Minneapolis, Minnesota Visitors come to the largest city in a…
Jeff Stewart is the third generation of his family to run Blue Star Gas, and he’s the third generation to be a pilot. He can be credited, though, with being the first to build the family’s propane business around aviation. Using business aviation has propelled Blue Star Gas from 38 employees with five locations when…
In the five years since its doors have been open to the public, The Outsiders House Museum has brought fans of “The Outsiders” from across the globe to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to explore where the 1967 book was written and where the 1983 movie was filmed. Grammy-nominated recording artist Danny Boy O’Connor re-located from Los Angeles…
John Glidewell likes to imagine having been a fly on the wall in the early 1960s at Beech Aircraft Corporation during conversations between company president Olive Ann Beech, her engineering executives and engine supplier Pratt & Whitney as they were considering combining the proven airframe of the Model 80 series Queen Air with the gas…
Circling the globe in a Beechcraft King Air on an extended five-month mission is a profound and addictive pursuit. Talking with Inuit people living in the stunning remoteness of Canada’s massive but sparsely populated northern territory of Nunavut. The happy greeting with smiles visible through hazmat suits in Bangkok, Thailand, after getting the sense an…
He’s only had use of FL-586 for six months, but Ben Giles is certain he’s found paradise in the form of an airplane: a 2008 Beechcraft King Air 350 he purchased in 2020 and had extensively refurbished and upgraded at Textron Aviation’s Indianapolis Service Center. “This is the aircraft we will keep forever, or as…
It’s tough for Jeff Lowe to fly his 1979 Beechcraft King Air C90 past an airport that is home to an aftermarket completion center. As co-founder and president of Aviation Fabricators – or AvFab – he knows each facility is a customer or prospective customer for the interior parts and components his company designs and…